A protest was held in Hawaii recently against the construction of a giant telescope on Mount Manua Kea, which is considered sacred by indigenous Hawaiians. More than a thousand indigenous Hawaiians stormed the site and blocked construction activities of the billion dollar telescope project.
The ongoing construction of the huge 39 meter telescope on top of Mount Manua Kea has sparked fearamong the local populace. They fear that it would cause great environmental damage around the culturally-sensitive site.
The protest has been going on since construction began last year. One of the protesters at the site told indigenous broadcaster Oiwi TV that they were standing for the truth, for the local people and the country. He said that he was willing to be arrested for what he believed was a great injustice to the local indigenous people in Hawaii.
Up till now, authorities have arrested many of the protestors that had tried to halt the construction activity. It was suggested that the arrested protesters should be dealt with using a traditional mediation technique that is called hooponopono. The technique has been used by Hawaiian families for centuries to settle disputes and differences. It consists of using discussions and prayers to diffuse the situation.
However, a spokesman for the Hawaii attorney general stated that the state won’t directly participate in the ritualistic technique to settle the dispute. This means that the protestors will have to go through lengthy court proceedings and face the charges.
The billion dollar telescope project is of great value to the scientific community. According to Dr. Ray Carlburg, the telescope when completed will add to the understanding of our cosmos. He stated that it would be used to study far off planets and stars.
The telescope will allow astronomers and scientists to get a glimpse of the early formative years of the universe. Mauna Kea is the ideal location for constructing a telescope that would help solve the mysteries of the universe, according to astronomers.
A number of international agencies are donating for the construction of the project. Canada for instance has donated around $243 million dollars towards the construction of the massive dome that would cover sensitive equipment inside.
Yet, Carlburg also admits that the telescope project could disrupt the surrounding ecology in Manua Kea. He recently explained in an interview that his environmental impact report shows the possibility of “a significant impact on the mountain.”
He says that they should plan to mitigate any impact to the surrounding ecology. The authorities need to come up with a plan to lessen the damage, which is inevitable, down to an acceptable level.
According to an expert analyst, under international law any damage to the surrounding ecology would result in charges. University of Hawaii professor Dr. Keanu Sai says that international rules and conventions forbid damages and destruction of sacred sites. The monuments of religious significance cannot and should not be destroyed by any state anywhere in the world.
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